1 ABBREVIATED
Parade starter Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Grand Marshal Joey Fatone of 'NSync will lead a tiny parade of huge proportions as Hot Springs celebrates the First Ever 15th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade, Saturday on Bridge Street. Events start with the Blarney Stone Kissing Contest at 5:30 p.m. and the parade itself begins at 7:30 p.m. Grand Funk Railroad will present a concert on Bridge Street, 8 p.m. Friday and Morris Day and The Time will provide the post-parade entertainment at 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (501) 321-2027 or visit shorteststpats.com. See story on Page 4E.
2 ADO
Floats, bands, dancers, wolfhounds, drummers and pipers will create a river of green through central Arkansas during the Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas' St. Patrick's Day Parade. It starts at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sixth and Main streets in North Little Rock, goes over the Main Street Bridge, travels through the River Market District and ends at Third and Cumberland streets in Little Rock, where the post-parade Dancing at the Crossroads will keep the party going. Admission for spectators is free. Visit irisharkansas.org.
3 ABBA
ABBA songs (music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeaus, some songs with Stig Anderson) tie into the story (book by Catherine Johnson) of a young woman getting married on a beautiful Greek island and trying to figure out which of three men is the father who will walk her down the aisle in Mamma Mia! It's onstage at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock, with a 7 p.m. preview today and shows at 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday through April 15. (Additional shows: 2 p.m. March 24 and April 14, 7 p.m. March 27). Tickets are $63 and $43 through April 8, $10 more April 11-15; $30 students in advance, $15 day-of-show student rush. Call (501) 378-0405 or visit TheRep.org. See story on Page 5E.
4 ANTHERS
Colorful flowers welcome visitors to the 19th-century buildings at Historic Washington State Park during the park's annual Jonquil Festival, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. In addition to the usual historic tours, there will be entertainers and craftspeople throughout. Festival admission is free but parking is $5. Tour tickets are $9, $5 for children 6-12. Call (870) 983-2684 or visit historicwashingtonstatepark.com. See Are We There Yet? on Page 8E.
5 ALPACAS
Soft and fuzzy alpacas are the stars at Heifer Village, 1 World Ave., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Alpacapalooza features not only animals, but also food trucks, artisinal goods and crafts in a big celebration of farming, urban and rural. Admission to the village is free. Call (855) 343-4337 or visit heifervillage.org.
6 AGNUS DEI
Maria Fasciano, soprano; Marisa Colon, alto; Matthew Newman, tenor; and Stephen Edds, bass; join the Arkansas Chamber Singers and conductor John Erwin for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Coronation" Mass in C major, K.317, 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. Also on the program: Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium) and Song of the Universal by Ola Gjeilo. Tickets are $22, $15 for students in advance, $25 and $18 at the door. Call (501) 377-1121 or visit AR-ChamberSingers.org.
7 AMBROS & AMBROS
Czech violinist Miroslav Ambros and pianist Zuzana Ambros will play works honoring the 100th anniversary of Czech independence, 7:30 p.m. today at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 W. 17th St., Little Rock, under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock. The program will include Much Ado About Nothing by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; Romantic Pieces, op.75, and the Mazurek in e minor, op.49, by Antonin Dvorak; two duos -- "From My Homeland" by Bedrich Smetana; and music by Sylvie Bodorova, Joseph Suk and Pablo de Sarasate. Support comes from the Czech Honorary Consul in Little Rock. With reception after. Tickets are $25, free for students and children. Visit ChamberMusicLR.com.
8 ARGENTA
Susana Raya, classically trained jazz singer-songwriter-guitarist, performs at 7:30 p.m. today at The Joint, 301 Main St., North Little Rock, part of the Argenta Acoustic Music Series, Tickets are $25. Call (501) 425-1528, email steve@stevedavison.com or visit argentasacoustic.com.
9 ART
"Looking Closely," with new paintings by Little Rock artist Laura Raborn, examines and celebrates small, simple moments in time at Cantrell Gallery, 8208 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The new exhibit, which will continue through May 5, opens with a reception, 6-8 p.m. Friday. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and admission is free. Call (501) 224-1335 or visit cantrellgallery.com.
10 ASU RANGERS
Bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers, touring in support of their latest album, Out in the Open, perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Arkansas State University's Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Tickets are $35 and $25; $28 and $20 for senior citizens, students and ASU faculty and staff; $15 and $10 for ASU students with a current ID. Call (870) 972-3471, (870) 972-2781 (ASU1) or (888) 278-3267 (ASU-FANS) or visit AState.edu/tickets.
Weekend on 03/15/2018